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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421970">Automatic Stop</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tired_saint/pseuds/tired_saint'>tired_saint</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Slow Burn, just general DDLC themes, rated T for language and mature themes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:40:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,208</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421970</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tired_saint/pseuds/tired_saint</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuri is a transfer student from America at Natsuki’s high school who knows only basic Japanese. Natsuki is assigned to show Yuri around the school due to the fact that she can  speak English better than most of her peers.</p>
<p>Idk guys the plots barely there but this idea came to me at like 3 in the morning and my monkey brain said natsuri so here we are</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Natsuki/Yuri (Doki Doki Literature Club!)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>109</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Breathe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thanks for checking out my first DDLC fic, I’m really exited about writing this! Updates will probably be around 2-3 times a week, I’m currently in the process of pre-writing and editing. The title is a reference to the song “Automatic Stop” by The Strokes. (Most of the chapters will be song titles, but they don’t necessarily have anything to do with the contents of the chapter, I just like the song.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So...your name’s Yuri, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The girl sitting in front of Natsuki nodded timidly without saying anything else. Her long bangs almost completely covered her eyes and framed her face like a luscious silken curtain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki twirled a strand of her own short pink hair around her finger self-consciously. Compared to Yuri, she probably looked like a grade schooler.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well...you already know that I’m going to be showing you around the school. So, if you have any questions, just ask me,” Natsuki recited.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Again Yuri nodded without saying anything in response. She averted her eyes as soon as she made eye contact with Natsuki and returned her gaze to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, uh, if you want you can talk to me in English. That’s kind of the whole reason you’re stuck with me,” Natsuki mumbled. She had expected the foreign transfer student to be quiet, but not totally silent. Now she was just uncomfortable. Sitting with this girl was eating into her precious lunchtime manga reading.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“N-no, I apologize, that will not be necessary.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki looked at the girl sitting across from her in surprise. She hadn’t actually expected a response, and now that she had one, she wasn’t entirely sure what to say.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, you can buy lunch from the school store if you want, but most students just bring a bento.” Natsuki tried her best to sound informative, but she was still new to this whole student tour guide thing. “Most of the time I just read during lunch, anyways.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A strange quasi-smile appeared on Yuri’s face and she nodded again, her eyes still practically covered by her hair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At least the girl had seemed to perk up from that. She had looked like she was about to vomit all day. Really though, Natsuki couldn’t blame her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Apparently Yuri had moved from somewhere in America, and knew only basic Japanese. That sounded about right to Natsuki; the one sentence Yuri had said sounded like it came straight from an English-Japanese dictionary. Natsuki had been forced to stick around Yuri because she had lived with her dad in America for a couple years and could speak English decently. “Decently” being that she could carry a basic conversation, though she hadn’t lived in America since her mom had died. Natsuki shook her head violently to stop the memories from coming back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“N-Natsuki?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki looked up to see Yuri staring at her from across the table with a worried expression.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you looking at?” Natsuki snapped.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I...I apologize Natsuki, I should not have said anything,” Yuri muttered before quickly returning her gaze to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Natsuki hadn’t meant to snap at Yuri, but it had just come out. Now the already demure girl probably wouldn’t say anything for the rest of the day. She inwardly cursed herself and reached in her bag to pull out one of her manga. If they were going to sit in silence, she might as well be doing something she enjoyed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Over the top of her manga Natsuki noticed that Yuri had pulled out her own book as well. Natsuki squinted and tried to make out the title. Maybe if she hadn’t completely scared Yuri off she could ask her what it was about, or something. Tour guides were supposed to be nice, after all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily the lunch bell rings before she can lament over scaring Yuri for too much longer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their next class is Japanese history. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Maybe if she’s lucky she’ll be able to sneak in a nap while Nakamura-sensei isn’t looking. All he does is make them take notes, anyway. It’s not like she couldn’t do that on her own.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuri, we have Japanese history next. Come on.” She motioned for Yuri to follow her back into their classroom. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Natsuki ended up falling asleep in both Japanese history and English. It really wasn’t her fault, though. Her dad had kept her up with his yelling last night, and she’d barely gotten any sleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before she knew it, the day was over. Natsuki was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Having to deal with Yuri all day had been taxing. It wasn’t like she disliked the girl, she just...had an air about her that grated on Natsuki’s nerves. Almost like she thought she was better than Natsuki or something. Natsuki knew it was irrational, she barely knew Yuri, but still. Something about her was wrong.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If she was going to be leading her around the school, however, she should probably at least try to extend the olive branch. Natsuki breathed in deep and walked over towards Yuri, who had her nose in the same book from lunch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Yuri. Since you seem like you’re pretty interested in books, do you want to come to a club meeting with me this afternoon?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Colors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuri meets the Literature Club</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Somehow the first chunk of this chapter got deleted on my Drive :( I just noticed as I was getting ready to post this chapter, so I tried to go back and rewrite it. It’s not as good as it originally was, but the chapter is complete. In the future I may go back and edit this chapter if I feel like I can improve it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>“Club meeting?”</p>
<p>“It’s the Literature Club,” Natsuki said.</p>
<p>Yuri closed her eyes for a moment to think. Of course she wanted to join a literature club. She wanted to meet people that had the same interests as her, and she had been reading <em>The Portrait of Markov</em> nearly all day. On the other hand, though, Yuri wasn’t sure how much more socializing she could take. All day the other students in her class had been desperate to meet the new American student. They had ogled her all day to the point of annoyance. It wasn’t like Yuri was a Yankee either; her mom was Japanese for god’s sake. </p>
<p>“Listen, I understand if you’re like… nervous or whatever, but everyone in the club is really nice,” Natsuki assured</p>
<p>At the very least, her parents wouldn’t worry about her making friends if she just told them she joined a club, right?</p>
<p>“I suppose I will take you up on your offer, then. Thank you, Natsuki.”</p>
<p>“Alright then, follow me.”</p>
<p>Natsuki led Yuri up to the second floor to the literature club’s room, pausing for a moment before they entered.</p>
<p>“Well, we’re here. After you.”</p>
<p>Yuri nodded and opened the door slowly. She had mentally prepared herself for a multitude of situations she might see in the literature club, but somehow, not this one. Two girls sat on a piano that had been wheeled into the middle of the room. One was attempting to play a melody on the piano while the other one haphazardly smashed on the keys at the bass end of the scale.</p>
<p>“A-Are you sure this is the right room?”</p>
<p>“Ugh, this is the right room. The two of them are just like this,” Natsuki sighed. “Sayori, Monika! We’re the literature club, remember?”</p>
<p>“Sorry, Natsuki! Monika started playing something and I just couldn’t help myself, eheh,” One of the girls, who Yuri assumed was Sayori, said.</p>
<p>“Whatever. Just try not to scare off the new member,” Natsuki deadpanned.</p>
<p>“Ohmygodwehaveanewmember?” Sayori asked in one breath.</p>
<p>“Well, we did. I don’t know about it anymore, though.”</p>
<p>“Come on Sayori, we should probably let her introduce herself,” The other girl, who Yuri figured was Monika, added.</p>
<p>“Um...M-my...my name is...Yuri,” Yuri stuttered. She desperately wished she could be anywhere but this cramped classroom at this moment. She felt the desperate need to just get out and go back home, back to her room, back to her books, back to her knives, and-</p>
<p>“I’ve been showing her around the school.” Natsuki interrupted Yuri’s spiraling thoughts with the statement, a hint of pride creeping into her voice.</p>
<p>“You got to show her around the school?” Sayori asked, in disbelief. “That’s so cool!”</p>
<p>“Yep. And I’ll have you know, I’m a pretty good tour guide.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’m the literature club president, Monika.” Monika turned away from the other two girls to properly introduce herself to Yuri.</p>
<p>“Oh, um…thank you for allowing me to check your club out,” Yuri mumbled.</p>
<p>“Oh, no need to be so formal!” Monika exclaimed, flashing Yuri a blindingly white smile. “I hope we can all become friends here. I think you’ll enjoy our club.”</p>
<p>Yuri didn’t say anything in response. She was too busy taking in the club room and the eccentric president. Something about Monika irked Yuri. The president was almost sickly sweet, dripping in false kindness. She seemed like she could trap people in her web for as long as she wanted, and it terrified Yuri.</p>
<p>“OK everyone! How about we get started on some club activities?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading Chapter 2! The next chapter will be published in 2-3 days. As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. The title is from the song “Colors” by the Black Pumas.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chätluge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Exciting club activities or: “manga is literature!!!”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Club activities? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki couldn’t really remember Monika making them do any club activities. Most of the time they would just read by themselves. Honestly, that was what Natsuki liked so much about the club; it was quiet, and for the most part Monika let them do whatever they wanted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Today I was thinking we could talk about the books we’re reading with another member of the club!” Monika flashed her signature smile and clasped her hands together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhh...Monika?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck!” Natsuki put her hands on her hips and tried her best to look intimidating.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, I know how much you love to read your manga during club but you don’t have to be so pessimistic! We’ll still read some days, but it’s nice to switch it up every once in a while, you know?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think it sounds fun!” Sayori chimed in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but we’ve never had enough people join our club. Now that we have enough members to actually become a real club, we should start doing some real club activities!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh...I guess.” Natsuki was still unconvinced, but she didn’t want to seem like too much of a bitch in front of Yuri.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm...how about you and Yuri partner up, and I’ll partner up with Sayori!” Monika smiled again, pleased with herself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Goddammit.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki swore that half of the time Monika did things just to piss her off. First moving her manga to the top shelf, and now this. What would be next? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um...Natsuki?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki looked up to see Yuri standing timidly over her, holding her book to her chest. She looked to her right and saw Sayori and Monika already discussing their books.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My bad, I just spaced out for a second,” she apologized.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I understand completely. Shall we begin the discussion?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki nodded and motioned for Yuri to sit in the desk adjacent to her. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little bit curious about the book Yuri was reading, seeing as she had had her head buried in it nearly all day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, what’s your book called?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>The Portrait of Markov,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Yuri responded. It was a large brown book with an eye embossed onto the front cover, which she was currently tapping with her fingers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn. She seems pretty into this book.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s it about?” At this point Natsuki was genuinely curious, even though she generally stuck to manga.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well...basically, it is about a girl in high school who moves in with her long-lost sister... But as soon as she does so, her life gets really strange. She gets targeted by these people who escaped from a human experiment prison... And while her life is in danger, she needs to desperately choose who to trust. No matter what she does, she ends up destroying most of her relationships and her life starts to fall apart..."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds...awful.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“E-excuse me?” Yuri looked genuinely offended and protectively hugged the book to her chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“N-no, I didn’t mean it like that!” Natsuki quickly clarified. “I just meant the girl. The stuff that’s happening to her sounds awful.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you insist…” Yuri still looked uneasy, but at least she had set her book back on the desk. That had to be a good sign. “What is your book titled?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki pulled out her copy of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Parfait Girls</span>
  </em>
  <span> onto the desk and smiled. “It’s called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Parfait Girls</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A manga?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, manga is literature too, you know! Just because I’m not reading a giant volume-“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I apologize! I was just surprised,” Yuri said, her hands outstretched in front of her face. “It was not meant to be an insulting statement. I am not very familiar with them myself, however...I cannot say I particularly enjoy them.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki raised her eyebrows and smirked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Was...something I said funny?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your sentence wasn't funny, I just...this is the longest sentence you’ve said to me all day!” Natsuki let out a small chuckle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I apologize, my-“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jesus, Yuri, you don’t need to say sorry so much! Is that something they do in America?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I apol-“ Yuri quickly clasped a hand over her mouth to cut herself off. She took a breath to compose herself, and started again. “No, they most definitely do not apologize very much in America. Well, most of them do not.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you apologize so much then?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I could not tell you why,” Yuri admitted with a frown.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well...you don’t need to apologize so much around me. We’re...friends now, right? I mean, we’re in the same club, so…” The words felt foreign and out of place on Natsuki’s tongue. She couldn’t remember the last time she had considered anyone a friend, besides Sayori. Truthfully, she didn’t really consider Yuri a friend, but hearing her apologize so much was kind of creeping Natsuki out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri’s eyes widened and her eyebrows raised. Natsuki couldn’t tell if it was an expression of fear or surprise. She hoped it wasn’t fear, but from Yuri’s reclusive behavior all day, it was probably fear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then...please tell me about </span>
  <em>
    <span>Parfait Girls</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Yuri nodded as if to reassure herself, and attempted a smile that honestly looked more like a grimace. But hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it’s a manga, obviously, and…” Natsuki screwed her eyes shut and cocked her head to the side. “To be honest, I’m not really that good at this whole “club activity” thing.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Just do your best.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Parfait Girls </span>
  </em>
  <span>is just simple things at the start, but it gets really interesting once it gets into the characters' backstories and romance.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds like…” Yuri hesitated and drew in a deep breath. “It sounds cute.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell?! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Parfait Girls </span>
  </em>
  <span>isn’t cute!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If Yuri had thought she’d seen Natsuki angry before, then now she practically had steam coming out of her ears. Yuri’s eyes widened and she held her hands defensively in front of her face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was not-“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri was cut off once again by Natsuki. “Just because it has cute things in it, doesn’t mean that the manga is “cute,” got it? The characters all have complex story arcs and show character development! Just because </span>
  <em>
    <span>Parfait Girls </span>
  </em>
  <span>isn’t a huge novel like your...stupid book, doesn’t mean that it’s cute!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Natsuki, what’s going on?” Sayori had walked towards the pair while Natsuki was shouting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuri just called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Parfait Girls</span>
  </em>
  <span> cute!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um…what’s the problem with that?” Sayori now looked genuinely confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not “cute,” it’s complex! It has heavy themes in it, and shows characters dealing with loss and rejection!” She held the manga up to Sayori’s face with a scowl. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well...I don’t think she meant it in a bad way, Natsuki,” Sayori offered. “I like lots of cute things! Everyone likes cute things!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can assure you, Natsuki, I did not mean to offend you. I also enjoy cute things.” She lowered her hands from her face and placed them back on the desk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki still scowled at Yuri and began putting her manga back into her backpack. If Yuri wasn’t going to appreciate her ideas, then why bother sharing them? Obviously, they were two entirely different people. Natsuki’s initial impression was right: something about Yuri definitely rubbed her the wrong way</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading this chapter, the next should be up in 2-3 days. I’m not very good at writing filler, so I’m sorry if some dialogue feels forced or rushed. I don’t like dragging things on too long, but I also like to add character development. Anyway, as per usual, kudos and comments are highly appreciated. Thank you to those who have left kudos and comments so far, it really pushes me to make sure the chapters stay on schedule! The chapter is inspired by the song “Chätluge” by KANKAN. Apparently this isn’t a real word in any language, English or otherwise, but I really love this song and I think it sounds pretty cool.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Youth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuri’s thoughts on a taxing day</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Since this chapter is so short, I decided to post the next chapter on the same day. The next chapter is pretty similar to this chapter; they’re both very short. Sorry for the short chapters, but I don’t want to rush the main storyline.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuri walked out of the Literature Club’s classroom quickly without looking back. Every fiber of her being quivered with annoyance with each step she took down the hallway. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> What kind of person gets immediately so hostile over a manga? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shortly after Sayori approached Natsuki and Yuri in an attempt to diffuse the situation, Monika came over and told them that their official club time was over. She had simply waved goodbye to them with a smile and flounced out of the classroom, seemingly unaware of the conflict that had happened. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, I guess I’ll see you two tomorrow then!” Sayori hastily excused herself with a harsh laugh and left the two conflicted girls in the room by themselves. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I...I really did not mean to upset you over a manga, Natsuki. I promise my comments were not in any ill-will.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“God, it’s fine. Just...it’s whatever, ok?” Natsuki scoffed and continued packing up her belongings. “It’s not like it matters anyway.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri eyed the girl warily as she packed up her own belongings into her backpack. Natsuki had already proved herself to be quite volatile, and Yuri wasn’t entirely sure how to handle her. She had plenty of experience dealing with small children, but high school students were entirely different animals. It was the main reason she stayed in so much: she couldn’t understand her own peers, and it scared her. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Each social interaction became a live bomb with the seconds steadily counting down until it's explosion. Usually Yuri could navigate around an interaction pretty well, but Natsuki was proving herself to be particularly vexing. Any offhand comment could set her off into a long winded, harsh worded rant, as she had come to see.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>God, it was exhausting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you just gonna sit there, or are you leaving too?” Natsuki asked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wha-I was just gathering my belongings!” Yuri tried her best to give Natsuki a withering glare.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever. I’m leaving now.” Natsuki took a few steps towards the door, but suddenly stopped and turned around. “I’m...sorry, Yuri. The club isn’t usually like...this.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The small girl quickly left the room in a huff. Yuri remained seated in her desk, bewildered. When Natsuki turned around, the usual anger hadn’t been present in her expression. Instead, it had been replaced with...sadness? The thought almost made Yuri laugh. She wasn’t even sure if Natsuki was capable of feeling that emotion. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Still, it didn’t change how goddamn irritating their whole exchange had been. Yuri sat up and pushed in her chair aggressively, still thinking about what had just happened. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>All she wanted to do right now was go home. The entire day had been incredibly draining, and the commute home took almost thirty minutes by train. The mere thought of all the other strangers she’d see was giving her a headache.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Is this what every day is going to be like? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to deal with Natsuki every day, if this is what it was like. How could a girl so small hold that much rage? On the other hand, though, Yuri had seen Natsuki display an emotion besides irritation, albeit for only a moment. It only filled her with more questions. She wanted to know more about this girl; to slowly peel back her layers and enjoy what was underneath, all by herself. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>That was only normal, right?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading so far! As mentioned earlier, the next chapter should be up by now. The title for this chapter is inspired by the song “Youth” by Glass Animals. Kudos as comments are all very appreciated, thank you very much for the positive feedback so far!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Life Itself</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Natsuki’s side of the story</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here is the second chapter! I think of it more as chapter 4.5 than chapter 5, but I didn’t want to combine it with chapter 4 due to the differing point of view. Anyways, the next chapter will be a lot longer, so thanks for bearing with me!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Just who the hell does Yuri think she is? Thinking she can come into her club after just being invited and completely shit on Natsuki’s manga.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Seeing Yuri pull out that obnoxiously large book during lunch should have been the first red flag. Anyone who carries a book that big around with them for no reason has to be an obnoxious weirdo. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Just thinking about it makes Natsuki’s face heat up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not enough to protect her from the blisteringly cold wind chill, though. She stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets curled in on herself in a futile attempt to save body heat. Of course, her efforts prove to be useless. It’s not like she has enough body fat to store any heat in, anyway. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>At least the walk from school is only fifteen minutes. Her papa tells her all the time that she should be grateful, and that she’s lucky he didn’t buy a house farther away from the school. He also tells her that she’s lucky he hasn’t kicked her out of the house yet, too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Speaking of her papa, she hopes to god that he isn’t home. He’s always especially irritable when she comes home late because of the Literature Club. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well, he thinks that she’s in the baking club. She doesn’t think about what he would do if he found out she was actually in the Literature Club. And reading manga, no less. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The thought sends shivers down her spine and she’s left shivering the rest of the way home, not just because of the cold.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all again for reading so far. This chapter’s title was inspired from the song “Life Itself,” also by Glass Animals. The songs are from the same album and parallel each other, similarly to Natsuki and Yuri, in my opinion. I may be biased, but it’s one of my favorite albums, and I would recommend it to anyone who will listen! Anyway, the next chapter will be posted in 2-3 days. As always, kudos and comments are appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Mango</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuri’s snack run</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The apartment is dark and nearly silent as Yuri walks in. She assumes her father is at work and her mother is still at the hospital. After moving her father had been forced to work long and unusual hours, at least until they could settle into their new home. She figured her mother was still at the hospital, although she couldn’t entirely be sure. For all Yuri knew, she was out shopping.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t mind, though. Yuri liked being alone. She felt most comfortable with only her thoughts as company.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A 2,000 yen note sat on the dining room table, along with a written note from her father:</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Your mother and I will be out late. This should cover dinner, there is a convenience store down the street.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The note brought a faint smile to Yuri’s face. Despite her mother’s insistence, her father still spoke to them in English in their house. He rarely wrote in Japanese, either, and would avoid doing so unless absolutely necessary. When her mother had first suggested moving to Japan, he was vehemently opposed to the idea. His Japanese was worse than Yuri’s, and he could barely carry on a conversation. It had taken months of goading to convince him to move. A part of Yuri felt bad for him. She was a part of the reason they had moved, after all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed and picked up the bank note. Thinking like this would get her nowhere. She wasn’t very hungry, but Yuri reasoned some yakisoba and a Coke would be good for her. She hadn’t packed herself a lunch and didn’t want to buy one at school. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her shoes still sat by the doorway, almost inviting her to go out. Yuri groaned as she put them on. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t want to go out. She hadn’t considered herself to be a very tall person back in America, but drew stares almost everywhere she went now due to her height. That and...among other reasons.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Despite her unwillingness to leave her house, it felt pretty nice outside. As long as no one approached her, she should be fine.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuri?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri looked up quickly, fear plastered all over her face. She hoped to God whoever this was would just take a hint and leave her alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, she had no such luck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t know you lived around here!” Sayori bounded over to Yuri from across the street.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A-ah...yeah. We moved in two weeks ago.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why haven’t I seen you around then?” Sayori asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I..try not to leave my house much, if possible,” Yuri replied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sayori laughed as if Yuri had just told a particularly funny joke. “Eheh, you’re pretty funny, Yuri. I can see why Natsuki brought you to our club meeting!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, thank you?” Yuri was pretty sure Natsuki hadn’t brought her to the Literature Club for any other reason beside a moral obligation, but Yuri didn’t want to seem rude to Sayori.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are you going, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri just pointed down the street and waved her 2,000 yen note. For some reason, the word for convenience store had slipped her mind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, are you talking about Lawson’s?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that...the store?” Yuri asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, the convenience store!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thank God.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then yes. I plan on buying dinner there.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was just heading there, too!” Sayori exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri was pretty sure Sayori had been walking in the opposite direction, but she didn’t comment on it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Follow me!” Sayori led Yuri down the sidewalk until they reached a large storefront with “Lawson” written on it in large, bold letters. It was written in English, and the font reminded Yuri of something she would find in a cheesy Western movie.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The owner knows me, I bet he’ll give us a discount,” Sayori whispered excitedly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The owner did not, in fact, know Sayori, and they didn’t end up getting a discount after all. Sayori had also forgotten her money at home and Yuri ended up paying for their food. Yuri didn’t really mind, though, 2,000 yen was more than enough for two people. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dang. I could’ve sworn this is the Lawson’s the owners know me at,” Sayori muttered. “I promise I’ll make up for it, though! I’ll buy you whatever you want at school!” She added, while unwrapping her melon bread.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It was no problem. The money belonged to my parents.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sayori laughed, and said something incomprehensible with a mouth full of food. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um...what did you say?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Eheh, never mind.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two walked in a comfortable silence for the rest of the walk back to Yuri’s house. Unlike the rest of her classmates, Sayori didn’t constantly bombard Yuri with questions. She seemed content to just walk with Yuri. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re coming to tomorrow’s club meeting, right?” Sayori asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um...”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Natsuki can get really worked up over her manga, but she’s actually really nice,” Sayori promised. “And sometimes she even bakes cupcakes and brings them in!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds...nice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know how, but you must have won her over somehow,” Sayori added.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She usually </span>
  <em>
    <span>hates </span>
  </em>
  <span>whenever Monika or I try to bring in new members. She always complains about them, saying she wants the club to stay small. So, you must have done something right!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri raised her eyebrows in disbelief. If anything, Yuri had the feeling that Natsuki disliked her. They had hardly spoken to each other all day, aside from when it was strictly necessary. Even then Natsuki had been rude and brusque to her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s really nice, I swear. You just have to get used to her,” Sayori promised. “Anyway, I have to get back home, but thanks for the food! I hope to see you at our club meeting tomorrow!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sayori hurried across the street back to her house, leaving Yuri with a bag full of taiyaki and a head full of questions.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading this chapter! The title is from the song “Mango” by Darcie. It makes me think of Sayori a lot, so I figured it would be good for this chapter’s title. Due to the fact that I am visiting family right now, the next chapter may be a little late. I’m going to try to release it on schedule, but just in case, I wanted to let you all know now.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Dark Red</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A time for reflection.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>!SERIOUS CONTENT WARNING!</p>
<p>This chapter is essentially about Yuri self-harming, so if this content upsets you, I would advise against reading this chapter. You won’t be missing anything too important, so please be careful!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time Yuri gets back into her house, her heart is beating a mile a minute. The questions have swirled around inside her mind like snowflakes in a blizzard. She can’t take this anymore.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She quickly takes her shoes off and sets the bag of food on her dining room table. Her breath is quickening and her head is already starting to feel light. She knows this feeling all too well. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> No. You promised them you would stop this. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But it’s already too late. Yuri makes her way towards the stairs and begins her ascent.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The beat of her heart has reached a crescendo and she can feel the blood rushing in her ears. Every part of her wants this- no, <em> needs </em> -this release. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As soon as she reaches the doorway to her room, she stops. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> You promised you would stop doing this! </em>the voice in her head screams.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And for a while, she did. After her parents had found out about her habit they had taken her knives, her entire collection. Yuri had begged and wailed for them to stop, promised anything for them to stop. But they wouldn’t listen. Her entire ornate collection of knives had been stolen. It hurt more than any cut Yuri could inflict on herself, and she made sure her parents knew of it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> It’s for your own good, Yuri. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> It’s because we love you. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was almost childish, how Yuri had initially reacted. She had holed herself up in her room for almost an entire day, only leaving to use the bathroom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But finally, there had been a light at the end of the tunnel. Her grandmother’s black rose handled pocket knife somehow managed to survive the purge. She left it hidden under her bed for a month, practically untouched, until her parents had announced that they were moving.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>How she had managed to refrain herself, Yuri wasn’t entirely sure of. But now, it lay in her sock drawer, practically tempting her to be used. It’s black blade glinted in the sunlight from Yuri’s window, making it all the more enticing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She dug her fingernails into her palms and held them at the side of her body. Logically, Yuri knew this was wrong. No human should ever want to hurt themselves. But if it was wrong, why did it make her feel so good?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri walked over to her window. No one was home, and judging by her father’s note, no one would be home for a while. She quickly grabbed her knife and walked into her bathroom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her heart was beating so loudly that it could only be rivaled by Poe’s <em> Tell-Tale Heart. </em> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Inhale. Exhale. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If she was going to do this, it was going to be done properly. She didn’t want to over-excite herself and end up going too far. That could become too much to clean up. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She slowly reached her hand and grabbed the knife as if it were made of glass. The cool metal of the blade’s handle sent shivers down her skin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She rolled up the sleeve of her school blazer and hovered the knife over her arm. The blade was almost razor sharp from practically being unused, so Yuri gently pressed her finger to the tip of it. The knife cut through her skin almost effortlessly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally, it was time for the main event.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri lowered the knife until it gently pressed against her skin. Sighing, she slowly dragged it down her forearm. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wells of crimson blood sprang from the fresh wounds and began to drip down her arm. Yuri almost found the sight poetic, in a sense. If not for the social taboo of self harm, she would surely have shared her poems about this experience. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She quickly grabbed one of her black towels from the bathroom and began wiping off her arm. Blood had proven tricky to remove from her countertops. She turned on her faucet to better wipe the blood off herself and grabbed some bandaids from behind her mirror. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>After placing them on her new cuts she threw away the bandaids and thoroughly rinsed the scent of blood out of the towel. Yuri gazed down at her arm to look at the newly placed bandaid. She ran a finger over her forearm to feel the raised scar tissue from countless other nights in her bathroom. It almost felt like some old, archaic system of writing that relied on various scored lines. The ridiculous thought almost made Yuri laugh to herself. Some scars were short and lined in neat rows, while others flowed down her arms like rivulets, obviously haphazardly performed in a desperate haste.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She rolled her sleeve back down and buried the bandaid wrappers deeper into her trash can. If her parents found out about her doing this again, she would have hell to pay. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>All of a sudden, the debilitating guilt comes crashing down on her. She had <em> promised </em>her parents that she would stop doing this. And yet...she had failed them. Again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She had wanted to stop so badly, but she couldn’t. This was going to drive Yuri insane. She was exhausted from the emotional strain, and just thinking about doing it all over again tomorrow only exhausted her further. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sighing, she flopped onto her bed. God, she was tired. A quick nap couldn’t hurt, right? At least if she was unconscious she couldn’t think about having to go to school tomorrow.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! I was originally hesitant about including a self-harm chapter, but because it is such an integral part of Yuri’s character, I decided to include it. I have never written a scene like this before, but I tried to keep the actual self harm to a minimum. The title is from the song “Dark Red” by Steve Lacey.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Harder to Breathe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The start of another school  day</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the chapter delay, life has been a bit hectic as of late, so I wasn’t able to finish editing and such on time. Hopefully I’ll be able to focus on writing more in the future.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Natsuki’s stomach growls as she takes her seat for her first period. She hasn’t eaten since lunch yesterday, and she’s really regretting it now. It wasn’t like she had a choice in the matter, but still. She’s fucking starving.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All around her students are unwrapping granola bars or eating donuts. She wishes Sayori was still in her classes; she would usually share her snacks with Natsuki.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the seat across from her, Yuri starts unwrapping a taiyaki. Of course. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sight practically makes Natsuki drool. She hasn’t had one since she was a little girl, even before they moved to America. She had tried baking them before, but she could never beat Lawson’s.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do you want one?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri’s quiet voice breaks Natsuki out of her haze.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“One of my taiyaki...do you want one?” Yuri asks. “I have another.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I…” Part of Natsuki wants to flat out deny this girl. Is Yuri pitying her or something? But on the other hand...she’s pretty damn hungry. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...yeah.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri reaches into her backpack and pulls out another fish-shaped cake.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki ripped open the wrapping eagerly, her mouth already watering. By the time Yuri’s finished unwrapping hers, Natsuki is already finished.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh,” Yuri says, her expression unreadable. “Do you...want another?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Damn, how many of these did you buy?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I like to be prepared,” Yuri mumbles. What little of her face is visible through her curtain of hair has started to turn a bright red. “Here.” She places the second pastry on Natsuki’s desk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki snatches it up eagerly once again. Once again the voice in her head screams at her to say no, but she just can’t resist. She’s always had a bad sweet tooth, and now she's starving, too. This offer is just one she can’t refuse.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...Thanks,” Natsuki mutters after she’s finished with her taiyaki.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No problem.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri turns back around to face her desk and begins to fiddle with a pen from her backpack. The tips of her ears that remain uncovered by her hair are still a bright crimson. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>God, Natsuki wants to run her hands through that hair. So dark it’s almost purple, and-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wait. What the fuck is Natsuki thinking about? She doesn’t like Yuri! Just because she gave her some taiyaki doesn’t mean she’s redeemed herself. Yuri still seems like a total weirdo, especially because she apparently carries mass amounts of around taiyaki with her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Shit, didn’t I just bake a dozen cupcakes for our club meeting last week? </em> I <em> carry around mass amounts of pastries with me! </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki frowns to herself and shakes her head. She needs to get these thoughts out of her system. Staying focused during the day is already going to be difficult with her growling stomach, she doesn’t need to think about Yuri, too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Luckily, Mr. Nakamura walks in and addresses the class before she can reflect on this any longer. He takes the roll quickly and launches into his lecture on mathematics.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At times like these Natsuki <em> really </em> hates having math as her first period. It’s her worst subject due to the fact that she can never stay awake during it. Well, it’s not her fault. Students are basically designed to fall asleep during the first period! Just before Natsuki dozed off she catches a glimpse of Yuri turning around for a split second, before just as quickly turning back around, completely red faced.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>        ————————————————</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki is jolted awake as the lunch bell rings, bleary eyed and panicked. Did she really sleep through three whole classes? Damn, she must have needed sleep. She’s surprised nobody thought to wake her up, though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She didn’t have a lunch, anyway, so she just pulls out a manga and stays at her desk. She looks across from herself to find Yuri doing the same thing, albeit while eating a granola bar.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This volume of <em> Parfait Girls </em> has just gotten interesting, though, so she doesn’t have time to stare at Yuri.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki could’ve sat there reading for hours, but of course, all good things must come to an end. The second lunch bell rings and signifies that it’s time for classes to begin again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mr. Nakamura walks back into the classroom with a textbook in hand, and orders the students to pull out their identical copies from their backpacks. With a groan, Natsuki remembers what class she’s in: Western History. It’s her least favorite class besides math. Dear god, why couldn’t she have slept through this class too?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know we don’t do too many projects in this class, but this semester’s project will be a group effort.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wait, <em> group effort? </em>Project? Suddenly Natsuki was wide awake and hanging on to every word Mr. Nakamura said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This semester’s project won’t be too laborious, so each student will be given only one partner.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Several students seemed to perk up at the idea of being allowed to work with a partner for this project. Natsuki, on the other hand, was absolutely pissed. She liked doing all of her work alone, and she didn’t have very many friends in her class, if any. Even if she wanted to get together with friends on the weekend, her papa would never let her. It was just easier to stay away from them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Each of the partnerships will be asked to create a powerpoint explaining one of the causes of the French Revolution and its effects,” Mr. Nakamura said. “Of course, there will be repeats within the groups, so try to make sure that your presentation at least isn’t the worst within it’s given category.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki was mortified. Her biggest fears as a student were becoming realized right before her very eyes. He’d at least let them choose their partnerships, right? That way Natsuki could make sure her partner wasn’t a complete idiot. They probably wouldn’t want to work with her, but they’d get over it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ve already chosen the partnerships as well.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Fuck! </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Many of the other students groaned as well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh please, did you seriously think I’d let you all choose your partners for the semester project?” Mr. Nakamura asked with a dry laugh. “Here are the partnerships:”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mr. Nakamura read from a list of students as he announced the groups. Natsuki listened intently, hoping to any powers that be that her partner wasn’t a total dumbass. She had already compiled a list in her head of the optimal classmates.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The next group is Yamamoto Natsuki and Morinaga Yuri.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Son of a bitch! </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri was definitely <em> not </em>on her list of optimal classmates to be partners with. The girl’s Japanese was shit, for Christ’s sake!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Amidst her fuming, Mr. Nakamura began to speak again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll be passing out a piece of paper to each partnership explaining the guidelines of this project further. It also has which cause you will be covering on it, so don’t lose it. If you have any more questions, come to my desk. You may use the rest of this class time to discuss with your partner a plan of action.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A slip of paper was placed on Natsuki’s desk with the characters for “Yamamoto” and “Morinaga” on it. Natsuki frowned and picked it up. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Economic Hardship.” That was a broad topic if she'd ever heard one. How the hell were they supposed to narrow this down and create a presentation? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Um...Natsuki?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki spun around to face Yuri, who had somehow silently walked over to her desk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the hell!?” Natsuki yelled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I-I apologize, Natsuki. I did not mean to startle you,” Yuri said, her eyes wide. “I merely approached you to inquire about our project.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, well here.” Natsuki thrust the paper into Yuri’s outstretched hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Economic hardships…that does not sound incredibly difficult,” Yuri asserted. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the hell do you know about France’s ‘economic hardships?’” Natsuki asked, already pissed off. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“W-Well...I learned about the French Revolutionary War last year...at my old school.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki just scowled. “Of course you did. Whatever, this project should be easy for you then, right?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I would not say...easy, rather...less challenging.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh my god,” Natsuki groaned. “Just tell me whether or not this is gonna be a breeze.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri’s eyes widened and her eyebrows raised. She almost looked like a kicked puppy. Maybe Natsuki was crossing the line between brusque and straight up asshole. If she went too far, there’s no way that Yuri would be willing to complete a project with her,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, I’m sorry, ok? I didn’t mean to be...such a bitch. It’s just...we don’t usually do group work so I’m used to working by myself,” Natsuki mumbled. She refused to meet Yuri’s eyes, afraid of what she might see if she did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri nodded slowly, bringing her hands back down to rest on the desk. “I accept your apology, Natsuki. I am not particularly used to working in groups myself, so...let us try our best.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Natsuki nodded in return, trying her best to be amiable. It definitely wasn’t one of her stronger qualities, that’s for sure. Maybe working with Yuri wouldn’t be half bad, though. The girl sure seemed smart. And if she really had already studied the French Revolution before, it would definitely make this project easier. Maybe working with Yuri wouldn’t be the worst thing ever.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! I’m pretty sure the next chapter will be up in 2-3 days, but this chapter was unexpectedly late, so I can’t be sure. Also, the Japanese school system differs A LOT from the American school system! I had to do some research before writing, but I know it isn’t going to be perfect. Please bear with me, I’m just using my knowledge from anime and some articles! This chapters title is from the Maroon 5 song “Harder to Breathe.” Please be sure to take care in these crazy times!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Key to Life on Earth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A first date, of sorts</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Holy crap I hadn’t noticed but it’s been eight days since my last update!! I’m sorry for the delay, but life has been a little hectic and my computer broke so I’ve had to type this on my phone, which definitely isn’t the easiest. I am definitely still working on this, though my updates may be a little delayed in the coming days.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“That will be all for today’s lesson, class, you are now dismissed for clubs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuri raises her head from her desk and begins to pack her textbook and pencils away. The side of her face is probably red from laying on her desk practically undisturbed for over forty minutes. She has to stifle a yawn just thinking about how comfy she was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Yuri.” Natsuki walks up to Yuri’s desk and begins to drum her fingers on it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have club today, so…do you want to meet somewhere to discuss our project?” Natsuki’s face is strained, like she’s uncomfortable even talking to Yuri. A part of her thinks it’s funny, but the other is deeply offended.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where do you have in mind?” Yuri asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a pretty good boba place about twenty minutes from here,” Natsuki answered. “I have money on me, so you don’t have to worry about paying.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds fine with me. I can pay for myself, though,” Yuri adds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natsuki just shrugs. “If you insist. Follow me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pair walk out of the front entrance and follow a side path until they reach a strip of small stores. They walked in silence, but surprisingly enough, it wasn’t terribly awkward. Natsuki would occasionally point out shops that sold good sweets, or shops to “avoid at </span>
  <em>
    <span>all costs, </span>
  </em>
  <span>no matter what.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the most part, though, it was just silence. Unlike most of her peers, Natsuki didn’t run from the silence by filling it with endless chatter. It was a much needed reprieve from all the noise at school. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re here,” Natsuki announced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To Yuri’s surprise, it doesn’t look at all like she’d envisioned. It was rather small, with only two other customers inside. The storefront plainly displayed the characters for boba along with some other ones Yuri wasn’t sure how to pronounce. Either way, it clearly wasn’t like the huge boba cafes she’d visited back in America.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natsuki held the door open for Yuri and walked in afterwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite how small it’s outwards appearance was, the cafe’s menu was </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Yuri was almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of boba flavors to choose from. Not to mention the vast amount of pastries and snacks to choose from, too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natsuki, however, was not fazed by the menu at all. Without so much as even glancing in its direction, she walked up to the register and placed her order.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A medium strawberry boba, and…” she stopped to pull out her purse and count her money. “An order of fried tofu, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman at the cash register nodded and punched the order into the machine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yuri?” Natsuki expectantly motioned for Yuri to give her order to the woman behind the register.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can pay for my order, Natsuki,” Yuri assured. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the woman rang Natsuki’s order up she nodded to Yuri.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um…one medium lavender boba, please. That will be all.” She pulled out her father’s credit card and handed it to the woman. She hoped he wouldn’t mind. He had told her to use it for emergencies, and Yuri was pretty sure an impromptu boba meeting counted as an emergency.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The service was surprisingly quick, so the two girls sat down in the nearest booth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said you were familiar with this topic, right?” Natsuki asked while grabbing their rubric paper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuri nodded and sipped her boba. The tea was sweet, but not sweet enough to make her sick. It was a perfect balance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cool. Nakamura usually doesn’t give us time in class to work on our projects, so...can we meet at your house some time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose...if we must,” Yuri sighed. She hadn’t meant to sound flippant, but she really didn’t want Natsuki at her house. Her home was supposed to be her sanctuary, a place where she could be away from the noise and bustle of school. If she could avoid it, she wasn’t going to be inviting anyone over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Damn,” Natsuki scoffed. “You sound ecstatic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not mean to sound rude, but...I am not accustomed to company,” Yuri sighed. “Especially in my home.” She couldn’t even remember the last time she had anyone over back at her old home, not even for school assignments.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. That’s...fine. I just can’t have anyone over, so…” Natsuki trailed off and began to pick at her tofu. She suddenly seemed extremely uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, why did you move to Japan, anyway?” Natsuki asked, quickly changing the subject. “It’s a pretty big change from America.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um…” Yuri grabbed a piece of her hair and began wrapping it around her finger. “My grandmother. She has become very sick, so my family decided to move so we could take care of her.” That part wasn’t a total lie, at least. Her grandmother truly was sick, and had been in the hospital for almost a month now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, shit. I’m sorry,” Natsuki apologized. “I shouldn’t have asked.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuri just nodded dismissively and took another sip of tea. She had never really been close to her grandmother. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When is the best time for you to meet up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think sometime over the weekend, probably,” Natsuki answered. “But I’ll have to ask my papa first. He can be strict about me going over to other people’s houses.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is fine with me. My parents will be out, so we will have the house to ourselves.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, then. Sometime around noon this weekend we’ll get together.” Natsuki paused to scarf some of her tofu down. “I should probably give you my phone number.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here. Enter your contact information.” Yuri passed her cell phone across the table to Natsuki.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment Natsuki gave Yuri her phone back, along with a text message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>natsuki (lit club): :)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A tiny smile flashed across Yuri’s face for a moment after reading the message. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take my phone so you can add yourself to my contacts, too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuri quickly typed out her name into Natsuki’s phone and added “(school)” at the end for good measure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuri Morinaga (school): How does Saturday at 13:00 sound?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice, it works. Saturday’s fine with me, just let me ask papa,” Natsuki answered. “I’ll text you later.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for taking me to this boba place, it really is good. I should probably get home now, though.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit, it’s already four!” Natsuki yelped. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll text you later tonight!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natsuki leapt up from their booth and hurried towards the exit. She offered a small wave as she left before breaking into a jog.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuri slowly rose from the booth and threw her boba cup away. The subway station was a ten minute walk away, and she was pretty damn tired. She would almost definitely fall asleep on the ride home. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_________________________________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>natsuki (lit club): i asked papa and he said 13:00 is fine i just have to be home by 16:00. let’s get boba again some time! :)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed. The title is from the song “The Key to Life on Earth” by Declan McKenna. As much as I would like to say that the next chapter will be out in 2-3 days, it will probably be closer to 4-5 due to some technical difficulties. I apologize for the delay, but I’m working on fixing my computer screen at the moment so it should be back in working condition soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Weekend Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A project work day</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I want to apologize for such a long wait! My school just ended and I had a lot of end of year assignments due, so I had to finish those as well as the work I had procrastinated during the quarantine. Luckily I have gotten hold of a computer for the time being, so updates will hopefully be more frequent for the time being. Thank you all for your patience, I tried to make this chapter a little longer to make up for the hiatus! (It's still not super long though, sorry)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Natsuki stood on the front porch of Yuri’s apartment and awkwardly shuffled her feet. She had texted Yuri a couple minutes ago saying that she had arrived, but Yuri still hadn’t come to let her in. Part of Natsuki wondered if she should just let herself in and sit down, but she didn’t want to seem rude. She checked her cell phone and scowled. It was almost ten minutes past the time they were scheduled to meet up. If they kept this pace up, there was no way Natsuki would be back home by 16:00.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly the front door burst open to reveal a red-faced and panting Yuri. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Natsuki, I am so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> sorry! I was trying to clean up a bit, and I completely forgot about the time, and-“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuri, it’s fine. Can I come in?” Normally Natsuki would have said something rude or snapped something by now, but just one look at Yuri changed her mind. Dark circles looked beneath her eyes and her breathing was irregular. To put it simply, she looked awful. It was such a stark contrast to how nicely she was dressed and the inside of her house. Yuri had obviously been losing sleep over something. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri nodded wordlessly and opened the door wider.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where should I put this?” Natsuki gestured to her backpack.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We will be in my room, so you can just set it on the floor once we get there,” Yuri answered. “Or I can hold it if you would prefer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“N-No, it’s fine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki kept her eyes glued to the floor as she took her shoes off. She hadn’t expected them to go into Yuri’s room. That was kind of…weird, right?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What are you thinking, Natsuki? It’s not gonna be weird. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki cursed herself and her intrusive thoughts. There was no reason going into Yuri’s room would be weird unless she made it weird. It wasn’t like she was going into some boy’s room, they were both girls. This was just a normal thing friends did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This way.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Despite living in an apartment, Yuri’s house had two floors. Natsuki tried not to let the envy show on her face. Yuri’s hallways had plush carpeting and lacked the cigarette-yellowed walls of Natsuki’s home. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri’s room looked almost exactly how Natsuki had pictured it. Purple was everywhere; the walls, the curtains, and the bed. The only thing in Yuri’s room that wasn’t purple was her dresser and her huge bookshelf, which were both a dark oak and her carpet, which was almost white. Her room smelled like lavender and jasmine, too, which was probably due to the diffuser on her desk. Just stepping foot in here made a wave of calm wash over Natsuki, contrasting her earlier feelings of unease.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your room is...really nice,” Natsuki said, resisting the urge to lay down on Yuri’s huge purple comforter.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you. I try to keep it neat.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, uh, what’s the plan for this project?” Natsuki asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, the paper says it can be a slideshow, right? That seems like the easiest option.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki just nodded in agreement. The air in this room was beginning to make her feel hazy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This is a pretty self-explanatory assignment, so as long as the information is complete and presented neatly there will not be much else for us to do, correct?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Oh, yeah, right. There shouldn’t be too much to do. Nakamura is a pretty fair grader, too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you bring your laptop?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki nodded. A few hours before she came over, Yuri asked her to bring a laptop so they could start working on a Google presentation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki unzipped her backpack to retrieve the rubric sheet while Yuri created the Google slideshow the two would work on. They sat Yuri’s carpet next to each other, their knees barely touching. They fell into a quiet rhythm of researching and working on their pages. The two had decided to each complete five pages of the slideshow, as the presentation was supposed to be at least ten pages long, discounting the title and bibliography. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri was a surprisingly fast worker despite her limited Japanese. Natsuki was both surprised and impressed, so she had asked Yuri to help her revise the pages she had completed so far. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At some point Yuri had brought in a speaker and began playing music as they worked. Natsuki hummed her approval and tapped her fingers along with the rhythm. It was much different than the music Natsuki usually listened to, but she surprisingly didn’t mind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who is this?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I apologize, I should have asked you first-“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? No, it’s fine. What’s the name of this band?” Natsuki interrupted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri seemed to think for a moment before she answered. “...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bahamas</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I am not very familiar with Japanese music, so it is an American band.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was pretty obvious to Natsuki that this was an American band, but she decided to save that comment for another time. “I like it. It’s...calming.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri blushed behind her curtain of hair and slid her phone over to Natsuki. “Feel free to change the music if you would like. It was rude of me to not offer sooner.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki shook her head and continued working on her pages. Coupled with the sweet scents from the diffuser, the music made Natsuki almost feel lightheaded. No, it wasn’t lightheadedness, so...what was she feeling? It wasn’t like anything she had ever felt before.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The hours passed quickly, and by the time Natsuki had finished three pages it was 15:30.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit, I have to go,” Natsuki spluttered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Already?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. The train here is kind of long so...I’m probably already gonna be late.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Natsuki hurriedly packed up her belongings and began to walk out of Yuri’s room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We still have some work to finish, correct?” Yuri asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m not a very fast worker.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri waved her hand dismissively towards Natsuki. “Can you return next weekend?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh…” Natsuki bit her lip and furrowed her brows. “I’ll have to see. My Papa doesn’t like it when I go out too much.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you for coming over, Natsuki. I hope we can finish this next week.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuri’s voice was strained and tired, but not completely devoid of any warmth. It seemed like Yuri hadn’t totally hated having her over, to Natsuki’s relief. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“See you on Monday.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To be honest, working with Yuri on this project hadn’t been as bad as Natsuki had expected. Yuri was a diligent worker, and they were able to cooperate surprisingly well, too. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Natsuki had enjoyed her time at Yuri’s house, either. The atmosphere was so calming and serene, unlike Natsuki’s own home. Despite her original nervousness, Natsuki had been able to relax almost completely at Yuri’s house. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something about Yuri was just calming. It made Natsuki feel…she wasn’t actually sure how that made her feel. It wasn’t bad, but it made her heart beat. She wanted to be around Yuri again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sky began to darken and cloud over as Natsuki made her way to the subway station. She needed to hurry if she didn’t want to get rained on, or if she ever wanted to go out again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! The next chapter will hopefully be up in around 3 days. The title for this chapter is from Goth Babe's song "Weekend Friend." It's a great song, and I thought it was fitting for the contents of this chapter! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Misery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Another busy day in the Literature Club</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“O.K., everyone! Welcome to our first official Literature Club meeting!” Monika’s cheery voice resonated throughout the cramped clubroom.</p>
<p>Yuri groaned inwardly. When she had taken up Natsuki’s offer of joining a club, she had assumed it would just be a place where she could read undisturbed. She hadn’t expected the Literature Club to actually have any structured activities.</p>
<p>Natsuki seemed to be equally as unenthused as Yuri. Her face was drawn in a scowl that seemed out of place on her almost cherubic features. The club’s newest member, a boy whose name Yuri couldn’t quite remember, looked bored out of his mind, too. The only members who looked genuinely excited were Monika and Sayori.</p>
<p>“What’s the plan for today, Monika?” Sayori asked.</p>
<p>“I’m glad you asked! I’ve been thinking of trying something new in our club,” Monika answered. “How would you all feel about writing poems?”</p>
<p>“Poems!?” Natsuki rose from her desk with a yell. “I’ve never written a poem before!”</p>
<p>“I assumed that’s what most of you would say,” Monika giggled. “It doesn’t matter how much experience you have! This club is just supposed to be fun and relaxing.”</p>
<p>“I think it sounds fun!” Sayori piped up. “What about you, Makoto?”</p>
<p>Oh yeah, that’s what his name was. Makoto...Chihiro? Chiako? It was something with an M and a C.</p>
<p>“Uhh...I haven’t written any poems either, but...it could be fun, right?”</p>
<p>“Well said, Makoto!”</p>
<p>Yuri saw Natsuki roll her eyes from her peripheral vision.</p>
<p>“Whatever.”</p>
<p>“I don’t have much experience writing poetry, but that’s exactly why I wanted to propose it as a club activity! The Literature Club is all about trying new things in the world of literature.”</p>
<p>Man, if she really tried, Monika could make anything sound appealing. She could make a deadly door-to-door saleswoman. Still, Yuri wasn’t completely convinced. She drummed her fingers on the cover of her newest book, <em>Misery</em>.</p>
<p>“What do you think, Yuri?” Monika asked.</p>
<p>“W-Well…” Yuri scanned the classroom nervously. Each club member was looking at her intently. Natsuki especially. “I agree with Natsuki. I am most certainly not a poet, however...Monika is correct. We...should try new things sometimes.”</p>
<p>Monika nodded, signifying her approval. “I couldn't have said it better myself.” Her wide grin was still plastered unwaveringly to her face. “We can share our poems during our next meeting, on Thursday. For the rest of today’s meeting, feel free to read or do homework. I’m excited to read your poems!”</p>
<p>With that, Monika walked from the front of the class to another desk in the clubroom and pulled out a book.</p>
<p>
  <em>Finally.</em>
</p>
<p>She had joined the literature club to find a place where she could read in peace and quiet without being ostracized. She removed her bookmark and continued from where she had left off:</p>
<p>
  <em>Her eyes never lost that blank, distant cast. Paul wanted to look away and could not. Tendons began to stand out on her inner arm. Blood ran from the rat's mouth in an abrupt thin stream. Paul heard its bones break, and then the thick pads of her fingers punched into its body, disappearing up to the first knuckle. Blood pattered on the floor. The creature's dulling eyes bulged. She tossed the body into the corner and wiped her hand indifferently on the sheet, leaving long red smears.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>'Now it's at peace.' She shrugged, then laughed. 'I'll get my gun, Paul, shall I? Maybe the next world is better. For rats and people both — not that there's much difference between the two.'</em>
</p>
<p>After a blissful 45 minutes of reading in relative silence, the school’s second bell rang signifying that clubs and other extracurricular activities were over. Yuri closed her book and placed her bookmark. The scuffling of chairs being pushed back into desks told her that the rest of the club members were doing the same.</p>
<p>“Hey, Yuri.”</p>
<p>Yuri stopped abruptly and turned around to face Natsuki. “Yes?”</p>
<p>“Is that what you really think about Monika’s poem idea?”</p>
<p>“What?” Yuri asked. She was still in King’s world, and couldn’t quite comprehend what Natsuki was saying.</p>
<p>“What you said about trying new things and all,” Natsuki clarified, “is that how you really feel?”</p>
<p>Yuri stopped gathering her belongings to think about Natsuki’s question. They were the only two members left in the room, but Yuri didn’t want to come off as if she hated their president’s idea.</p>
<p>“Truthfully, I do not want to write any poems, nor do I want to participate in many structured activities,” Yuri answered. “I like just reading here.”</p>
<p>“Alright then,” Natsuki replied.</p>
<p>“Why do you ask?”</p>
<p>“I just don’t want Monika to walk all over you, is all. She can become...controlling.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>Natsuki seemed satisfied with her answer, so she continued packing up her things. She had taken a volume of manga from a shelf in the clubroom and was attempting to return it to the top shelf.</p>
<p>“Do you need help with that?”</p>
<p>“No,” Natsuki snapped. She stood on her tiptoes with her arms outstretched towards the top shelf of a cabinet full of manga. The cabinet was almost entirely full, and each of the volumes appeared to be in almost perfect condition.</p>
<p>“Well...yeah.” Natsuki relinquished her volume to Yuri, her face the color of a strawberry. “Thanks.”</p>
<p>“No problem.”</p>
<p>“Hey, can I come over to your house again this weekend?” Natsuki asked. “I didn’t finish all of my slides, and…my dad said I could stay longer this time.”</p>
<p>“Of course. Does the same time still work?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Natsuki answered. “Thanks, Yuri. I’ll see you tomorrow.”</p>
<p>Natsuki waved goodbye awkwardly and jogged out of the clubroom. Once again Yuri was puzzled by Natsuki’s behavior. At least she didn’t exclusively show Yuri hostility this time. She needed to hurry home, though, especially if she intended to finish a poem by Thursday.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all for reading thus far in the story! The title of this chapter comes from both Maroon 5's song "Misery" and Stephen King's book titled "Misery." It's one of my favorite books, and it's pretty disturbing, so I thought Yuri might be interested in it. I actually posted this chapter semi on schedule!! I'm expecting the next chapter to be up in 2-3 days.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments and kudos are appreciated, I will do my best to reply to any I get. If there are any mistakes or grammatical errors please be sure to let me know! Thanks for reading so far!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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